ON LOCATION

Leveraging clients’ locations for authenticity and range of perspective.

My business is primarily centered on shooting photographs at the client’s location.  This is because the objective of professional/business photography is to create high-quality, professional shots that convey image and messaging that match the client’s business purpose. Staging a photo shoot at an unfamiliar studio is not the best way to achieve this.

Apart from the obvious advantage of reduced travel time, shooting in their “native” environment is generally less stressful for the subjects of the project.  Beyond that, having the ability to shoot with the authentic background of their business activity and having access to objects and processes that serve as relevant props within the frame, help me instill the company’s true “vibe” into the shots.  If a biotech client wants to show their state of the art lab for example, or an architecture client has designed their workspace in a creative way shooting portraits or work process shots could not be accomplished in a studio without a hollywood - sized budget.

Furthermore, being at the business location gives me the opportunity to capture a wider variety of shots. Since I have access to more diverse shoot sites, I can utilize a greater range of creative shooting angles. This can translate to novel, more impactful visual treatments with less visual repetition.  Also, by being able to shoot subjects in various locations, within their business, mixing more formal posed shots with candid workday activity photos, I can create a wider variety of environmental and emotional perspectives.

However, the advantages of shooting on location do come at a cost. Lighting is harder to control, my presence and the shooting process can be disruptive and   environmental limitations can create additional obstacles to overcome. An extreme case of this is shooting in an industrial or pharmaceutical clean room.

When I perform clean room photography, I must take extraordinary measures to minimize my impact to the environment. Wearing a clean room suit and goggles and keeping camera and lighting gear from contaminating the environment slows down the process of capturing a great image. That’s where patience, experience and flexibility come into play, and it’s also why the vast majority of photographers don’t do clean room shoots.

But, there are so many factors inherent in shooting at a client’s location that can enrich the final images with visual information and authenticity.  I have made it a priority to continuously practice and refine my skills to deal with lighting and other environmental hurdles so I can take advantage of location shoot benefits.  If you have a unique situation that requires flexibility and creativity to capture the “right shot,” please contact me. At the very least, I can tell you what difficulties you will be facing … and put some thinking behind how those problems can be overcome.